Last update:November 4, 2024, 15:41 IST

The children were seen lighting a cracker inside the mouth of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

The viral video has received a strong reaction on social media. (Photo credits: X)

At a time when municipal administrations across the country were asking citizens to check bursting crackers during Diwali celebrations, a nasty incident of vandalism has left everyone fuming. A video that has gone viral on the Internet shows a group of children destroying a statue of Mahatma Gandhi by putting cookies in its mouth. The incident is said to have taken place in Telangana’s Hyderabad city under Bowenpally police station limits and has sparked intense reaction from social media users, with many calling for strict action against violators.

A user shared the entire incident on platform X, showing a child approaching and lighting the cookie placed inside the statue’s mouth. “Request @CVAnandIPS garu to kindly take suo motu action on this indecent act on Gandhi ji statue in Bowenpally Police Station limits, Cantonment. “It has become fashionable to insult the Father of this Nation,” the user wrote.

Reacting to the video, users denounced the shameful act and the lack of respect towards Gandhi’s statue. One user wrote, “The Constitution does not allow anyone to have titles like ‘Father of the Nation’. Freedom should be treated along with our fathers, be it ‘Mohandas Gandhi’ Ji or ‘Savarkar’ Ji.”

Another commented: “Take serious action in this matter and the higher authorities of the police department take strict action on this person.”

“These actions are intolerable and should have immediate consequences. It reflects badly on us as a society. Let’s put an end to these senseless acts and show respect where it’s due,” one comment read.

Speaking about the incident, Bowenpallu SI Shiva Shankar noted that the accused who carried out the vandalism were between 15 and 16 years old, including two who dropped out of school. A notice will be issued in the matter and a legal opinion has been taken on lodging an FIR against the minors, who are currently in police custody, he said, as reported by Siasat.

The vandalism was reported on October 30, a day before Diwali. Police have identified five children, including the one seen in the video.